Killer Hike!!!!

Oh my gosh! I went on such a hard hike today. It was approx 9 miles long and it was killer! I woke up at 4:45 a.m. this morning. I wasn't surprised because I have been getting up at that time everyday this week for work. I knew I would wake up early this morning and sure enough... 4:45 a.m. and I was wide awake. I wish it was that way when I really had to get up. Anyway, I tried to go to sleep and I had my alarm set for 6:00 anyway, so I just got up and decided to get started on my hike earlier. I did my normal 4 mile hike and then decided to take a trail I have been wanting to do. It's always scary going on a new trail because you never know what to expect. Man was I in for a surprise! It was so dang steep and did not let up at all until I got to the top of the mountain. It was certainly worth the hard work to get to the top. It was a beautiful view. Their were Aspen tree's all over and I can not even describe how beautiful it was. I sat at the top of the mountain for about 1/2 hr. Just me, all alone enjoying the sounds of nature. It is amazing how good you feel when you get to the top of a mountain. Yes, my legs were killing me, but I felt energized staring out at the surrounding mountains. Everything was so green and healthy and beautiful. I couldn't help but reflect on how blessed I am to be living in Utah. I love the mountains and have always found great joy being able to spend time in the mountains.

When I was going back down the mountain, I was sweating just as hard as when I went up. While I certainly wasn't as out of breath as I was on the way up. My legs were totally shaking from the strain. Going up they were killing me because it was so steep, going down I was dying because it was so steep. It was hard because there were so many rocks that were loose along with the dirt and it was slippery. Thankfully, I didn't fall or anything. When I got back to my normal trail I was grateful because I knew the layout and knew what was up ahead. I was glad I only had 2 more miles to once I got down the steep mountain. It wasn't so much the 9 miles that was so tiring. It was the extreme uphill and downhill that got me. I will probably do the hike I did today again, but it will take some getting used to. It was a great workout!